NHL Announces 2026 Draft Order Change for Senators, Reveals Fine Stemming from Dadonov Trade

The NHL announced Thursday the Ottawa Senators will get a 2026 first-round pick back, but it comes with some conditions.

The Senators will be on the clock at No. 32, the final selection in the first round, and they're prohibited from trading the pick.

Sportsnet's Alex Adams provided a statement from team owner Michael Andlauer:

The penalty dates back to the 2021 trade of Evgenii Dadonov from Ottawa to the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Golden Knights attempted to send Dadonov to the Anaheim Ducks in March 2022, only to learn after the deal was arranged that he had a limited no-trade clause in the contract he had signed with Ottawa.

Anaheim was one of the teams on his no-trade list, and he exercised the clause. The NHL ultimately canceled the move altogether.

The NHL ruled the Senators had to forfeit their first-rounder in 2024, 2025 or 2026, and they chose the last of those three options. TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported they "had been lobbying the NHL for quite a while" about amending the terms of their punishment:

In addition to the draft pick conditions, the league levied a $1 million (CAD) fine that will go toward NHL Foundation Canada.

The Senators are on pace to miss the playoffs and fall into the draft lottery. While the team can participate in the process, it's ineligible from improving its position. The NHL will re-draw if Ottawa winds up winning either lottery.